Key facts
Club: none | Opening: 1976 | Capacity: 56,000 seats
History and description
Montreal Olympic Stadium got built in the 1970s to serve as the flagship venue of the 1976 Summer Olympics.
In 1972, the City presented plans for a shell-like stadium including a 175-meter mast and a retractable roof. Works on the stadium started in 1973, but progressed slowly due to the harsh winters and a labour strike..
The stadium got completed just in time for the Olympics, though the mast and roof had not been completed yet. It opened on 17 July 1976. The stadium could hold 76,000 spectators during the Olympics.
Due to financial difficulties, it took over ten years for the mast and roof to be completed. The mast had by then turned into an observation tower with funicular running up.
Further renovations in 1992 reduced capacity with 12,000 seats as seating was taken away to make the stadium more suitable for baseball. Due to structural problems the roof was replaced again in 1998 by a new version.
When the Montreal Impact joined the MLS in 2012, they made next-door Stade Saputo their home, though they do occasionally play high-profile matches at the much-larger Olympic Stadium.
How to get to Montreal Olympic Stadium
Montreal Olympic Stadium is located in the north of Montreal at about 7 kilometres from downtown and old Montreal.
It is easy to get to the stadium using the metro. Metro station Pie-IX, on the Green line 1, lies right next to the stadium. Catch the Green line at one of the various stops in downtown Montreal or connect to the Green line from the Orange line at Beri-UQAM station. It is a quick journey of no more than 10 minutes from downtown Montreal.
Address: 4141, avenue Pierre-De Coubertin, Montréal, Québec, H1V 3N7
Eat, drink, and sleep near Montreal Olympic Stadium
Montreal Olympic Stadium is located on the Olympic Park that holds other sports facilities and borders the Botanical Gardens and Parc Maisonneuve.
The Hochelaga-Maisonneuve neighbourhood, bordering the stadium on the south and west, is a traditionally working class neighbourhood, but up-and-coming with lots of new bars and restaurants popping up around Ontario Street, a few blocks west from the stadium.
It is not an area with a lot of hotels around, but Guesthouse Gite du Survenant just south of the stadium and Hotel Universel just north of the stadium are well-rated options. Otherwise there are many apartment rentals in the area.
Click here for an overview of hotel near Montreal Olympic Stadium and here for options elsewhere in Montreal.
Montreal Olympic Stadium Tours
The Olympic Stadium offers guided stadium tours as well as a visit to the Observatory in Montreal Tower.
Tours run multiple times a day from Tuesday to Sunday between 10:30 am and 4:00 pm (5:30 pm in the summer months). Check the official website for up-to-date schedules and bookings.
The tours costs $15.00, the observatory $24.25, and the combination $33.50.
Photos of Montreal Olympic Stadium
Useful Internet links
Parc-olympique.qc.ca – Official website of Montreal Olympic Stadium.
Tourisme-montreal.org – Montreal tourism information.
Stm.info – Montreal public transport information.